Let’s talk watching the Super Bowl.
Do YOU watch the Super Bowl? If you do, you are not alone. Some analytics surveys conclude that this year, 192.9 million adults in America will tune in to Super Bowl LVII. Even before it was, well, super, 24.43 million people watched Super Bowl I in 1967, when it was simply, the AFL-NFL Championship and the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Super Bowl is an international event, broadcast in more than 130 countries and in more than 30 languages. People watch this event. If you are a fan of sports history or are a sports fan who thrives on watching the best play the best, the Super Bowl is an event for you.
This year, the Chiefs are back, facing the Philadelphia Eagles. Are you watching? If you are, are you watching because you are a fan of the Chiefs or Eagles? Are you an NFC fan or AFC fan? Are you just a football fan or sports fan or watching it because it is one of the “events” you don’t want to miss? Or is it something else?
Little has changed since a 1974 survey reported that 40% of those surveyed said they watched football regularly, but only 12% said they were real fans. About 16% believed it as a big event that was a “must-see” and 18% said there was nothing else to do, while 10% were watching because they had bets on the game and 2% thought it was the trendy and “in” thing to do. The final 2% said they watched it to spend time with a significant other. Another survey question revealed that 52% said they were excited to see the commercials. In 2020, an updated survey showed that 85% of viewers watched the halftime show, and 9% of the viewers had no interest in the game and only watched for the halftime entertainment. Approximately 14% watched the game only and changed channels or left the big screen during the halftime show, and a whopping 76% of the viewers cite ads as a reason for watching, with 8% saying ads are the ONLY reason they are watching.
So, what about you? Is this a social event for you and your family or friends? An excuse for an eating frenzy? Are you watching it for the halftime entertainment? Or for the commercials? Super Bowl commercials are a thing … an expensive thing. The price of a 30-second Super Bowl commercial this year is $7.0 million, a gain of $500,000 over last year. In 1967, the cost was $42,500, and the commercials have become a part of the Super Bowl experience.
Or is this party time? Surveys indicate that 103.5 million people plan to throw or attend a Super Bowl party and 17.8 million others will watch the game at a bar or restaurant. Want to bet? The American Gaming Association estimates that a record 31.4 million people will wager around $7.61 billion on this year’s game.
You know where you fit in. Is the Super Bowl one of your can’t-miss events? Where does it place for you, let’s say in a sports universe of the World Series; the Stanley Cup playoffs; the NBA championship; FIFA World Cup; Winter Olympics; Summer Olympics; the Masters; The U.S. Open; Tour de France; Wimbledon, Daytona 500; Indianapolis 500; March Madness – the Final Four; The Kentucky Derby or The July 4 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Championships? Are there others on your bucket of hot wings and watch list?
Are you a real fan, a causal fan or a party fan? It’s all good. Enjoy the game, the food, the commercials, your friends and collect on your bets. Have fun.
Let me know where you stand on the game and how you best enjoy big sporting events. Contact me at mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com.
